Air cleaner



June 23, 1942. M. A. mamas AIR CLEAN R Filed Feb. 23, 1940 INVENTOR.

MERRITT A.MIERAS ATTORNEYS -tcausal-STA ES Patented June, 23, 1942;

PATENT F CE ."Merritt A. Miera s, Redford Township, Wayne County, Mich., assignor to Industrial- Wire Cloth Products Company, Wayne, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 23, 1940, Serial Ne. 320,395 (Cl. 183-15) 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to air cleaners and more specifically to that type of air cleaner A in which theair is passed through a loose, spongy "mass of filamentary material having oil absorbed herein- V i Y i Among the objects of the invention is an. air

"" 'cleanerin which the incoming air, carries. oil

fron a pool up into the filter material more eflici'en'tly' than in'similar-devices.

Another object is an air cleaner of the type indicated, which is.simple and inexpensive in "construction, easy to assemble and diific'ult to render inoperative.

Still another object is means for attaching such cleaners to the carburetors of engines, which means is more efiicient and less likely to allow accidental detachment.

Other objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a vertical central cleaner.

' Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1, showing a portion of a carburetor air intake.

As shown in the drawing, the cleaner consists of several annular cupped elements nested together and held by means of a tension rod. Of these several elements, the lower cup It) consists of a comparativelysmooth annular cup with a short upward flange it around its central opening and has a short tube I2 welded thereto, this tube being of the approximate height of the outer walls. Cup ill also is provided with a section of the less in diameter than cup to provide an annular space 3| serving as an air inlet.

The outer wall 32 of the cup 30 extends down ,nearly to the bottom of cup 20 and has in its lower edge a plurality of openings 33, while the bottom wall 34 slopes upward to substantiallythe level of the inner periphery of cup 20, and is provided with a seat in its under 'face for a downwardly extending flange I3 by.welding a suitably flanged plate It around the central opening upon the bottom of the cup.

Nesting withir cup I0 is a second cup 20, the bottom portion of which extends down into cup ill for some distance below the annular seat 23 formed thereon for co-action with the upper edge of cup l0. These two cups in and 20 are preferably welded together.

The bottom wall of cup 20 is of such shape that near its outer periphery is formed an annular sump or trough Lia while the inner periphery is elevated well above the sump level and has its inner edge 22 crimped over the upper edge of a tube 23 which is of such diameter as to pass into and be spaced from tube l2.

Tube 23 has fixed in its upper portion a spider 24 to which is welded a rod 25 threaded at its upper end.

Nested in cup 20 is a third cup 30, sufiiciently 5| arranged over the material 4|.

gasket 35 by means of which there is produced an oil-and-air tight joint between cups 20 and 30 at their inner peripheries, the gasket 35 being set upon a suitable shoulder 36 on cup 20. Further, in order to aid in the support of cup 30, a plurality of bumps 31 may be formed in.the sloping bottom of cup 20, the bottom of cup 30 resting upon these.

It will be noted that, in producing the openings 33, at the upper edges of the openings, the metal of the wall is turned in as at 38. These short flanges provide a seat or support for an annulus of screen wire 40 which in turn supports a body or mass of spongy filamentary material 4|, this being packed loosely in the space between the outer wall of cup 30 and a tube 50 which is preferably flared out at its upper end and extends outwardly to rest upon an upper screen end of the tube 50 is fixed in a suitable seat 52 in the inner edge of cup 30.

The outer wall of cup 30 is preferably curved outwardly at its upper portion and overhangs the spaced outer wall of cup 20, and both the upper edge of cup 30 and the outer edge of screen 5| are preferably held by the crimped over outer edge of the cover 55.

Cover 55 is, as shown, dome-shaped and provided at its center with an opening for rod 25 so that, when the nut 25a is tightened, the several parts are held tightly together.

With the assembled parts. fixed together as described, the device is fixed to the air intake of a suitable carburetor by means of the novel clamp shown.

The air intake is indicated as provided with a wide groove SI and cooperating therewith is a split clamping band or collar 52 in which are formed a number of deeply depressed inwardly extending rectangular portions- 63. These extend inwardly through corresponding openings 54 in the flange l3 to engage in groove 6! when the end 62a are pressed toward each other by the screw 65.

In the operation of the cleaner, oil is poured The lowerv cups, said second cup ameter adjacent the 34a being provided to allow escape of air from beneath the sloping bottom 34 of cup 30.

When the sump has been filled to the indicated level, air entering the intake 3| passes over the surface of erable oil which is carried up into the material ll thoroughly wetting the latter, and, since this oil wet material acts as an efiicient cleaner, clean air passes out into the dome 55 and down through tubes 50 and 23 to the carburetor.

'The chamber in cup Ill being closed except for the small opening between tubes 23 and I2 acts as a resonating chamber to reduce noises.

Now having described the invention and the preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed is:

1. An air cleaner consisting of an annular cup having its bottom wall depressed to provide a sump for containing a body of oil and having an annular shoulder surroundin the central opening, a second'annular cup nested within the first MidfSBlfiGd upon said shoulder, said second cup being of such diameter as to provide an annular air inlet between the outer walls of the having its outer wall extending downwardly into said sump and provided with a plurality of air openings and having its bottom wall sloping upwardly toward the center of the cup, the outer cup being reduced in dijuncture of the outer and bottom walls of the inner cup, but spaced therethe pool and entrains considfrom, wherebya restricted annular oil passage is formed connecting the sump with the air inlet, a mass of spongy filamentary material in said second cup and supported above the air inlets and bottom wall thereof, and air outlet means arranged beyond said material irom the air inlet.

2. An air cleaner consisting of an annular cup having its bottom wall depressed to provide a sump for containing a body of oil and having an annular shoulder surrounding the central opening, a second annular cup nested within t e first and seated upon said shoulder, said second cup being of such diameter as to provide an annular air inlet between the outer walls of the cups, said second cup having its outer wall extending downwardly into said sump and provided with a plurality of air openings and having its bottom wall sloping upwardly toward the center of the cup. the outer cup being reduced in diameter adjacent the juncture of the outer and bottom walls of the inner cup, but spaced therefrom, whereby a restricted annular oil passage is formed connecting the sump with the air inlet, means to prevent trapping of air under said sloping bottom wall, a mass of spongy filamentary material in said second cup and supported above the air inlets and bottom wall thereof, and air outlet means arranged beyond vsaid material from the air inlet.

MERRITT A. MIERAS. 

